--- title: JK Rowling Reveals New Fantastic Beasts Clue description: "A tribute to the victims of witch hunts across the centuries with every movement of her hand." canonical: https://time.com/4404270/j-k-rowling-fantastic-beasts/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-13T18:56:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:34:20.736Z og:title: J.K. Rowling Reveals a Major Fantastic Beasts Clue og:description: It totally involves Satan og:url: https://time.com/4404270/j-k-rowling-fantastic-beasts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb256f10312d3f2de/69889bd90b72e386956ea2cc/jk-rowling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: J.K Rowling - In Conversation og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Reveals a Major Fantastic Beasts Clue twitter:description: It totally involves Satan twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb256f10312d3f2de/69889bd90b72e386956ea2cc/jk-rowling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.K. Rowling Reveals a Key Detail About a New _Fantastic Beasts_ Character > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jul 13, 2016 6:56 PM UTC  J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling. Ben A. Pruchnie—Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jul 13, 2016 6:56 PM UTC J.K. Rowling just revealed another bit of [_Fantastic Beasts_](http://time.com/4380221/jk-rowling-fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them/) insight, and it totally involves Satan. Seraphine (Caremn Ejogo) will be stalking Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in the [movie](http://time.com/4313899/harry-potter-jk-rowling-death-apology-remus/), which will delve into fictional wizard history in North America for a change. And Ejogo chose to play Seraphine left-handed for magical reasons, according to a recent [Pottermore](https://www.pottermore.com/news/fantastic-beasts-carmen-ejogo-seraphina-interview) updates. “I’m left-handed actually, naturally, but I know that that’s a very magical trait. I’d be thought of as a witch years ago,” Ejogo explains. “So I wanted to really emphasize my left hand and I thought we could put rings on it. Colleen \[Atwood, the costume designer\] was really into that idea. Pottermore added, “Seraphina, pays tribute to the victims of witch hunts across the centuries with every movement of her hand.” Yes, do continue, Pottermore: “Most depictions of the devil show him using his left hand to anoint his followers, and he sits on your left shoulder with his angel companion on your right. Witches were said to use their left hands to cast curses, to pass ceremonial wine and to salute the leader of the Black Mass, the Queen of the Sabbath. In the witch trials of the past, being left-handed alone could be enough to get you accused of witchery. In the world of _Fantastic Beasts_, the legacy of the Salem Witch Trials is still keenly felt.” A 1969 TIME article reported that “in the Middle Ages, for instance, the left-hander lived in danger of being accused of practicing witchcraft. The Devil himself was considered a southpaw, and he and other evil spirits were always conjured up by left-handed gestures.” Leftie suspicions have since evolved. Pottermore also peppered in that in _Fantastic Beasts_, Mary-Lou (Samantha Morton) will lead a mob of fired up protesters, chanting “We want second Salem! We want second Salem!” The movie hits theaters Nov. 18, 2016. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4404270/j-k-rowling-fantastic-beasts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4404270/j-k-rowling-fantastic-beasts/"},"headline":"J.K. Rowling Reveals a Key Detail About a New Fantastic Beasts Character","datePublished":"2016-07-13T18:56:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:34:20.736Z","description":"The devil's involved","url":"https://time.com/4404270/j-k-rowling-fantastic-beasts/","keywords":["Newsfeed","movies","Harry Potter","J.K. 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